lMorphometric analysis of Mandavi River Basin in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh (South India), using remote sensing and GIS

Water conservation and management strategies, play a fundamental role in harnessing surface and subsurface water resources, especially in arid and semiarid regions. The present study deals with morphometric analysis and quantitative analysis of the Mandavi River basin, located in the Rayalaseema region of south India. The study area is mostly covered with crystalline rock terrain and the rainfall is very scanty, hence, drought is very common in every summer season. The watershed area spreads over an area of about 1464.94km(2). In addition to this, the stream orders are mainly controlled by various physiographic conditions, neighbourhood geology and erosion cycles. Dendritic to a sub-dendritic pattern existed on crystalline terrain, which shows the unique lithological nature within the study area. The overall study reveals that the lower stream order, generally subjugated by the basin as well as the rainfall parameter, is more affected by the development of stream segments. The elongation ratio value of 0.06819 is observed over the elongated and moderate altitudes in addition to steep slopes. The observed drainage texture of the basin is 9.30, indicating the existence of a coarse texture. These morphometric parameters were analyzed from two sources of drainage network such as SRTM-30m and LISS IV in the GIS environment. The present results provide characteristics of geo-hydrological behaviourand structural antecedents of the catchment area for better management and developmental planning of water resources.